A friend in need
by Winter's Frost
Summary: Gary and Ash are locked together in the final battle to win the pokémon league but when Pikachu is outclassed Ash has to turn to a much more unpredictable source to win. Please R&R.


A few points that you may want to know about this story. It takes place after the film (obviously as Ash has Snorlax) and for those of you who have seen the film, we all know what happens at the end which explains why no one knows of Mewtwo's powers. I can't explain why Gary doesn't remember Mewtwo as he has faced him before so I kind of ignored that. I think that's about it. 

Pokemon is the property of Nintendo, Gamefreak and 4kids television. I don't particularly care who is more important etc. as long as they keep supplying Mewtwo related items.

Please R&R. I need all the help I can get!

A friend in need

Onix roared in triumph as if sensing the sheer dread of the miniature trainer who sweated profusely before him. Gary oak smirked uncontrollably revelling in the moment that he knew he would beat his rival and ex-best friend. Smugly, he returned the now emptied pokeball to his belt and waited for Ash to throw out his next pokemon.

Pikachu stood jarred and hurt, knowing now that it would have no chance against a rock pokemon. Yet despite this knowledge he had, he firmly believed that some how he would find a way to win, even if it did mean facing a giant rock snake. The yellow pokemon fell onto all fours, waiting expectantly for his trainer to throw him onto the battlefield. When this didn't happen, the pokemon glanced at his trainer who was talking with a smartly dressed man. Although Pikachu knew very little of the human world, he knew that this man was a pokemon official. When the official scurried away into the dark tunnel, Pikachu returned his concentration back onto the battle field, seeking for any kind of weakness that it could both find and abuse.

"And both trainers have asked for a time out!" The official declared. Pikachu began to relax but only a little for he knew the battle was imminent.

"What are you going to do Ash?" The young trainer looked up at Misty, his eyes brimming with tears. 

"I only have Pikachu left. All my other pokemon are out. I have no water pokemon left to use!" His voice rose towards the end of his speech and a lone tear ran down his face. The cerulean gym leader placed a comforting arm on the trainer's shoulder and was half surprised when he didn't jerk it away. He must be really depressed she thought to herself. And she knew she was right. 

Ash couldn't seem to stop crying, constant tears and muffled cries came from the pokemon master wanna be. Ash knew that he had no chance what so ever of beating Onix with only one pokemon left. What made it worse was that Gary had two pokemon. Ash knew he might as well quit now.

"It's all team rockets fault!" He cried once more. "If they hadn't abducted me again then my pokemon would be in a better shape to fight. But as it is my pokemon are too tired to fight and Pikachu is my only one left!" Misty sat next to Ash and drew him into a hug, which he didn't resist, to distraught to even think of it.

"I know you could have won this competition." She said as Ash span to look at her. She knew she was writing him off but this was a good time to be honest; a very good time.

"Fate was against you. I know you can beat Gary. You're ten times better than him but without your pokemon it's useless," she reasoned. Pikachu who had perched once again on his trainer's cap sagged.

"You can't send out Pikachu," she told him softly, stroking his cheek with her finger as she did so. "He would get hurt and I know that you're a better trainer than that." Ash nodded. He knew full well that there was precious little that he could do.

"I'm going to call off the match," he explained. Misty stroked his back reassuringly.

"It's the right thing to do."

"Let me," he stuttered, "let me explain this to Mewtwo. I think he has a right to know." With that Ash got up and left the locker room, leaving the wondering Misty alone.

"Mewtwo," The pokemon stirred and looked up at its temporary master. With a slight grin, Mewtwo jumped from the floor and dived onto Ash, knocking both of them over. For a moment the trainer was temporarily relieved, living in a state of slight happiness. Yet after he had prised the huge pokemon from off him self, he sat directly in front of him and looked straight into his eyes.

"Mewtwo," he started," I'm going to forfeight the match." The pokemon remained unmoved knowing that he was providing solace to a distraught friend.

"But it's ok," he insisted. "We'll come back next year. It's really ok." He said again as if trying to convince himself rather then anyone else. The young trainer, unable to take anymore quickly retreated into the corridor and away from his pokemon. 

Mewtwo sat, indifferent in the shadows. Yet curiosity yanked at him and Mewtwo against all normal behaviour trotted over to his master.

"And the fight is resuming." Pikachu sat waiting to fight, willing it to be so that he would be chosen. Not many pokemon could beat him and he knew it, but as long as he tried then there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Ash had caved in, yet he knew there was no chance of Pikachu winning this battle but he had to try. Maybe, just maybe Pikachu could pull it off. Yet again, it was very unlikely. The battle was about to commence. The entire crowd turned to look at the young trainer.

They waited.

Ash despairingly looked towards his Pikachu; his best friend. Was he sentencing him to death by sending out his only pokemon? He knew he was, but as Pikachu's friend and a longing to fulfil his dream caused him to allow Pikachu to fight. Ash noticed in the corner of his eye that Mewtwo had strolled onto the field and was watching Onix intently. Ash saw something flicker in his mind.

Mewtwo couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was his young master really going to send out Pikachu against a rock type? It certainly looked that way. The pokemon couldn't believe this. Bounding up to his trainer's box and leaping in the pokemon tried to reason with his master.

"Mewtwo!Mewmewmewtwo!" He tried.

"I know Mewtwo." Ash said as he stroked his head. "But I don't have any other pokemon and everyone knows that you can't fight." Mewtwo blushed slightly. "So this is my only chance. I just need a miracle. Not much to ask for right?" The pokemon shaked his head but noticed suddenly the tears in his eyes. He could suddenly sense how much this boy wanted to be a pokemon master, how much he deserved it too. And also he saw the look of defeat in his eyes. Ash had met his match, and Gary had met his victory. Suddenly Mewtwo felt torn between two evils. If he revealed his powers to the others he knew he wouldn't receive a moments rest. But if he didn't, Ash was going to lose his dream.

"MEWTWO!" He screamed, and leaped onto the battlefield.

"Well what's this?" The commentator cried out as the purple and white pokemon bounded onto the field before anyone had a chance to stop him. With Mewtwo now firmly in the ring, there was no way that Ash could recall him. He had already used Squirtle, bulbasaur, pidgeot, Snorlax and god even charizard! The young trainer knew that five of his six pokemon had been defeated and once a pokemon was in the ring, it couldn't be recalled. 

Mewtwo was his only hope.

But Mewtwo couldn't fight. Everybody knew that. Ash recalled, as the stunned crowd glared disapprovingly into the ring, how he had found his beloved new pokemon. It had been beaten and badly injured by a caterpee of all things and Ash had rescued it. Little did he know that the caterpee had been the last straw and none other than team rocket had in fact shot down that Mewtwo with a rocket launcher.

Ash had saved it.

On Mewtwo's part, the fight back to health, was a long and lengthy one and he felt like quitting and lying back down to eternal slumber. But Ash was so much stronger then that. He wouldn't let Mewtwo slip away from him for all the money in the world. And so it had become that Ash had cared for Mewtwo until he was considered strong enough to walk on his own.

Fearful though that humans would attack him again he hid his powers. He took the beating of other pokemon when Ash had launched him into battle and against all its instincts, Mewtwo didn't counterattack, instead it favoured being beaten to a bloody pulp by the other pokemon who had come against it.

And the news had heard too. Mewtwo was one of a kind after all. When its apparent lack of fighting abilities rose to the surface, every interested trainer turned their back on him and muttered "No wonder they died out."

Ash hadn't abandoned him like all the other fickle trainers around him. For some reason, he didn't care that Mewtwo couldn't fight, as long as he was alive and well.

Mewtwo knew that Ash was a rarer creature than he would ever be. 

Ash had sacrificed so much for him. His time, effort, even when most trainers would have turned there back and walked away, he remained.

The crowd began jeering excitedly. "Wha do you think ya doing?"

"Yeah!" Another anonymous voice called. "This is supposed to be a real fight! "

And so the criticisms rained down upon the already vulnerable Ash. The young trainer however, when met with Mewtwo's gaze wasn't crying. He was smiling.

"Don't listen to them Mewtwo! You're just as good as any other pokemon."

"There's only one of em. The race must have been so weak they died out."

"Yeah! Stupid pokemon."

"Don't listen!" Ash repeated. He leaped out of the trainer's box and bounded toward his stationary friend.

"Mewtwo," he stroked his ears gently. "This fight is over. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Mewtwo, mew mew!"

"I'm cancelling the match," Ash told him firmly. The trainer turned and paced towards the official. He couldn't let Mewtwo get hurt.

"MEW!" Mewtwo cried out and ran at lightening speed to stop Ash. He paused, solemn for a moment.

Ash had risked everything by bringing him here. He had taken the criticism and not cared, all pokemon trainers and even the league had jarred him just so he could be happy.

Mewtwo wasn't going to let Ash sacrifice the only thing that he had left.

His dream of becoming a pokemon master.

"Ash," a female voice whispered. It was Misty.

"It couldn't hurt."

"It could hurt Mewtwo, Misty!" He seethed angrily. "And I'm not going to let him get hurt again."

"Mewtwo obviously wants to fight!" She countered, raising her voice in anger. "I think you should let him."

"Mew two two?"

"Of course not!" Ash suddenly collapsed into Mewtwo's outstretched arms and cuddled him tightly. With tears glistening in his eyes the young trainer began to speak.

"Are you sure?" And Mewtwo nodded.

The fight was on. The stadium was as silent as space, a giant vacuum with only the rough breathing of the two trainers filling the otherwise endless air. The crowd had frozen to their seats but the intensity of their judging gaze was electrifying and hurtful towards Ash especially. Gary didn't seem bothered. To him this fight was as good as won.

The pokemon official raised the two flags into the air so slowly it was if time itself had frozen. With strenuous effort, the trainers held their ground. The flags fluttered weakly in the breeze. In the distance, the distinct crowing of a Dodrio rang out.

"Go!"

Mewtwo leapt forward with lightening speed and swept gracefully through the rocks that Gary had commanded Onix to throw. With great agility the pokemon launched itself into the air, narrowly missing a rock that could have crushed the poor pokemon and killed it on site. Onix continued to call to the stones, to throw them upon the annoying insect that plagued him and his master of his win. But he couldn't hit the pokemon.

And Mewtwo was gaining.

"Use your wrap attack!" Onix obeyed, it recognised his trainer's voice and lunged towards the blur of Mewtwo, with a fearsome swipe, its giant granite tail tore through the air and landed merely metres away. With a huge effort the pokemon wrapped itself around the other so it was trapped. It began to squeeze.

"MEWTWO!" But Mewtwo wasn't finished yet. With very little effort it leaped into the air before the wrap attack could be done. Mewtwo landed only a few feet away. Onix, with a confused grin tilted its spiralled tail to see if Mewtwo were there. When he couldn't see him, he scanned around the arena using his tail as some sort of site on a gun. Soon Mewtwo was framed in his tail. Onix roared greatly but before it used its bone crushing tackle attack Mewtwo had rushed to a different angle. The stone giant altered its trajectory slightly, and so Onix flew through his own tail.

Onix fell.

"Onix return!" Gary shouted. He knew now that the pokemon Ash had summoned was an intelligent one and he cursed himself for not noticing this earlier. He would need an intelligent being too.

"Gengar! I choose you!" The pokemon flew onto the field; its demonic red eyes gleaming and lusting for blood looked at its prey.

"Gengar! Nightshade!" 

"Oh no! Mewtwo evade it!" But it was too late; Mewtwo had been hit directly. The force of the attack had blown Mewtwo almost twenty feet into the air. "Tackle attack!" Before Mewtwo could recover Gengar was up there with them, a celestial battle was raging in the stars, and until the two fighters were back down no one would know the result. A sickening thud rang form their battle place sending one of the pokemon flying into the earth and leaving a small crater where it had fell. The entire stadium shook, the crowd shook with it as they all peered over to gaze at which pokemon had received the sickening blow.

It had been Mewtwo.

The pokemon official was already beginning to call out that Mewtwo was down and that Gengar and Gary had won the match. "Mewtwo!" Ash cried through tear stricken eyes. "Are you alright?" The crowd was laughing at him, not that he cared. The heat from their accusing fingers though burnt him to his soul. It hurt.

"And Mewtwo is back up!" Mewtwo suddenly leapt back into the air, landing on the lip of the crater and watching the strong pokemon from where it sat. The crowd leaned forward and could barely believe that Mewtwo didn't seem hurt at all. There were no scratches. Yet they knew that a blow like that would have knocked out any pokemon on the spot. Mewtwo hadn't changed at all.

But Ash could see his pokemon much more clearly then those judgmental eyes around him. He could see by the way Mewtwo stood, by the way his eyes fixed so fiercely on his opponent that Mewtwo had changed.

Mewtwo was angry.

The pokemon leapt forward then; Gengar was unprepared and took the tackle attack blow with less dignity then he himself imagined. Another tackle reared up against him, and another. In fact Mewtwo was moving so quickly that not even the commentators, trained for years to spot that which no one else could, could explain the phenomena that was occurring. But Ash could tell. He could see every bone-crunching blow; he could feel every vicious swipe draw blood from the weakened Gengar. But he did nothing about it. He watched Mewtwo dance the fabled dance of death like a master. Mewtwo avoided every counter and countered with his own sickening thud. When his lengthy combo was done, he jolted Gengar into the air and span viciously.

Blue flames appeared from no where. Ash could see it clearly now, as if he and Mewtwo were in the same body. He could feel the power building up inside of him. Wrapped in rapture, he could see the blue energy swell and bulge from Mewtwo's outstretched arm. It built, forming, boiling until just when Gengar landed it was released.

The entire stadium shook with the outburst, quivering like a small child that had been struck by an angry parent and feared that it would happen again. Ash watched the giant ball of blue energy tear up the very ground that it crossed until it curled and crushed un mercifully into the poor unfortunate Gengar.

And Mewtwo had only lifted a finger.

The crowd watched with baited breath as the limp form of Gary's Gengar sailed through the air. Gengar suddenly struck the ground and was still.

"Gengar!" Gary cried from his trainer's box. "Get up and Fight!" But Gengar was spent, and Gary knew it. Yet bravely the Gengar began to pick itself up from the cold hard ground, its limbs trembled with the effort of raising its beaten body upwards. Gengar's bones chattered as he lifted himself into a sitting position. 

Mewtwo and his master watched the pokemon. Ash could feel Mewtwo's energy still bubbling inside of him like a hot geyser. Inside he could feel the satisfaction of battling, like an old hobby revisited. He wasn't sure who was thinking this, but Ash felt as though he had found his purpose: It was to fight.

"Mewtwo!" Ash cried with cupped hands around his mouth so his pokemon could hear him over the sighs of disbelief, "Tackle attack!" Mewtwo exploded into the tackle before Ash had even ordered the command. He watched as the great pokemon sliced through the air and collided violently with the weak form of the Gengar. "No!" Gary Oak cried. But it was too late. The Gengar was thrown into the air, spinning and turning like a tabletop. It hit the ground for the final time.

"And Mewtwo," the commentator stuttered as if the words themselves were so unbelievable that words could never explain it. "Mewtwo wins?" 

Ash jumped in the air with his fist raised high and an euphoric Pikachu copying his movement.

"I won the pokemon league!" The crowd was silent for a moment as they monitored the two trainers. From the sidelines though Misty and Brock danced for joy and hugged eachother so tightly they were unsure that they would be able to breathe. Ash ran to them quickly, sliding through the air and crumpling into their open arms. They wrapped him in their happiness as the trio, filled with ecstasy hugged eachother.

Soon the crowd was beginning to cheer, especially with the absence of little else to do and a defeated Gary nodded in respect to the unravelling situation.

On the battlefield, Mewtwo sat watching his trainer dance with the young red head. He was filled with his own thoughts that not even Ash had the ability to hear. He watched the others feeling deep inside the satisfaction of a job well done. And he had done it on his own.

"Mew," he said happily, and then smiled. 

The end.


End file.
